Dr Erica Feild-Marchello launches new research project, Arabic in Spanish

Dr Erica Feild-Marchello, Sir John Elliott Fellow in Early Modern Spanish Studies at Exeter College, has launched a new project for research and public engagement, “Arabic in Spanish: Speaking, Knowing, and Belonging at the Edges of Europe”, supported by The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities’ PCER fund.

The project stems from an observation: cultural productions and discourses that address the use of Arabic in Spain contain historical references that span from the eighth to the twenty-first century. Yet, research on the social and cultural significance of Arabic in Spain rarely features analysis within a frame that considers connections (or ruptures) between the medieval and early modern periods and the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. This project responds to a need for cross-temporal conversations by connecting an interdisciplinary group of scholars with partner organisations, Casa Árabe (Madrid) and the Escuela de Estudios Árabes (Granada), to develop public-engagement activities and teaching materials for unpacking the significance that using Arabic in Spain carries today and for exploring this in relationship to Arabic’s long history in the region.

Dr Feild-Marchello is the project’s principal investigator. She will collaborate with Eric Calderwood (University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign), Samuel Llano (University of Manchester), Matthew Machin-Autenrieth (University of Aberdeen) and Carol Ready (Oklahoma State University), among others.

View Arabic in Spanish project updates, events and resources here.